Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Maryland), the former Democratic majority leader who announced earlier this month that he’s retiring after nearly 45 years in Congress, is endorsing his former campaign manager, 31-year-old Adrian Boafo, to replace him in the House of Representatives.
“I’ve had the opportunity to know him for some period of time,” Hoyer said of Boafo in an exclusive interview with The Washington Post. “He really knows the district. He knows the people. He’s served the people.”
Boafo, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Prince George’s County, joined a crowded Democratic primary to succeed Hoyer in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District. In addition to working on Hoyer’s campaign, Boafo previously served on the Bowie City Council and worked as a lobbyist for Oracle, the software behemoth co-founded by billionaire Larry Ellison.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Boafo said. “To not only have the support of my former boss, but somebody who’s done the job for so long to be able to say, ‘I think you can pick up the mantle.’”
Hoyer, 86, is the third-longest-serving member in the House and was the second-ranking House Democrat for two decades. He first won election to Congress in a 1981 special election. In 2002, Hoyer was elected by his Democratic colleagues in Congress to the role of minority whip. He went on to be Democratic majority leader from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, at which point he retired from leadership.
He announced his intention to retire earlier in January, telling The Post at the time that he “did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job.”
Hoyer, who initially had said that he would not make an early endorsement in the race, told The Post that he “want[s] this district represented well.”
“I’m not endorsing against anybody, I’m endorsing for somebody that I think would do a good job,” said Hoyer, who noted that he had spoken to “a lot of candidates” before coming to his decision.
Boafo emphasized the weight an endorsement from Hoyer can carry in Maryland, pointing to Hoyer’s endorsement of Wes Moore for governor and Angela Alsobrooks for Senate early in their respective campaigns.
“He’s good at picking winners,” Boafo said.
Five other candidates have declared their intention to run or have expressed interest, including Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer who was present for the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. In 2024, Dunn ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District, losing to Sarah Elfreth, who won the seat in the general election.
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